DescriptionPsychiatrists and physicians focusing on addiction medicine – addiction medicine doctors or specialists – are trained to treat all types of addictions, including alcohol, drugs and gambling. These doctors work with detoxification, rehabilitation, acute intervention and long-term therapies. They offer abstinence-based treatment as well as individual and group therapies. Some also provide treatment for diseases associated with addiction, including hepatitis and HIV infection.

Dr. passman was educated at the following institutions:

Medical School Attended:tulane university school of medicine

Year of Graduation:
1969

Dr. passman received medical licensing as follows:

Medical License:
Not Available

State Medical License:
Issued in the state of Alabama

Dr. passman accepts insurance from these companies:

wellpoint

aetna

magellan

Acceptance of particular Insurance Plans may vary, based on different office locations. As a result, we've listed Plans accepted at different locations.>

See what state and federal disciplinary actions (if any) have been reported against this doctor in the past five years.>

Disciplinary Actions: Not Available

Disciplinary actions are actions taken to punish or restrict physicians who have demonstrated professional misconduct. They are intended to correct the doctor's misconduct. Physicians with disciplinary actions may continue to practice, depending on the board's decision. Physicians who have had a disciplinary action in one state will often move to another state where he/she may have a clean record in that new state. Lifescript's Doctor Finder compiles disciplinary action information from all 50 states, you'll know if a physician has a disciplinary action in more than one state.

Addiction medicine is practiced by psychiatrists and physicians who specialize in preventing and treating various types of addictions, all of which are chronic medical conditions. The main addictions treated are alcohol, drugs and gambling. Other addictions include smoking, sex addictions and other substance or behavioral problems. Addiction treatment methods include acute intervention, detoxification, long-term therapy and rehabilitation. Most professionals believe the substance should be given up permanently for a patient to recover from it.

What is addiction?

Addiction is a chronic medical condition usually including both medical and psychological effects on the patient. Addiction can emerge in biological, psychological, social or spiritual manifestations. Sufferers typically pursue a reward or relief through the abuse of a substance or behavior. Without treatment, addiction is progressive, with symptoms and effects worsening. As with other chronic diseases, addiction often includes relapse and remission cycles. Some addictions can result in disability or premature death. A physician or psychiatrist with a specialty in addiction medicine should be sought out to help treat the condition.

What are the different treatment options for addiction?

Physicians and psychiatrists offer abstinence-based group or individual therapy treatments for different types of addictions. Medications to treat the addiction may be required. For example, to treat alcoholism, a doctor may prescribe Naltrexone to block the craving, Disulfiram to cause upset stomach when alcohol is consumed, and Acamprosate to reduce craving. Some physicians may also treat diseases that arise from the addiction, such as hepatitis and HIV from drug use.

How do I find a qualified addiction medicine practitioner?

Two routes lead to a practitioner taking up addiction medicine as a specialty: Some start on a psychiatric path and others through medicine in other fields. According to the American Society of Addiction Medicine, approximately 40% of its members are psychiatrists; the rest were trained in another medical field.

In the United States, there are two entities to ensure quality of care in addiction medicine. Two accepted examinations to become qualified in the specialty include a Certification in the Subspecialty of Addiction Psychiatry from the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology; or a certificate from the American Board of Addiction Medicine. The second is geared to any physician seeking to become a specialist in addiction treatment and medicine, while the former is available only to psychiatrists who seek to do so.

What symptoms and conditions are typically treated by an addiction medicine specialist?

Symptoms of addiction may include craving the drug, alcohol or other source of addiction, such as gambling. Symptoms also usually include the inability to stop or limit use; needing greater amounts to achieve the same effect or satisfaction; giving up activities to pursue the addiction or recover from its affects; continuing down the path even when it causes or worsens health or other problems; wanting to stop or reduce use, but being unable to do so; and experiencing withdrawal symptoms. For example, if alcohol consumption ceases, a patient may experience one or more of the following symptoms: nausea, sweating, shaking, anxiety, increased blood pressure or seizures. The brain, heart, liver, nervous system, gastrointestinal tract, pancreas and stomach can all be detrimentally affected by alcoholism.